Colorado will be represented by a strong contingent of players in the final stage of PGA Tour qualifying two weeks from now in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Six players with strong ties to the state earned berths in the final stage Saturday with their performances in second-stage tournaments around the country.
Advancing will be PGA Tour veterans Brandt Jobe (pictured) and Jonathan Kaye, along with John Douma, Bret Guetz, Dustin White and Barrett Jarosch. All are guaranteed to at least play on the Nationwide Tour in 2010, and the top 25 finishers and ties in West Palm Beach Dec. 2-7 will earn their PGA Tour cards for next year.
Jobe, who lost his exempt status this year after more than a decade on the PGA Tour, almost missed his chance to rejoin the circuit. But the Kent Denver High School graduate shot a 3-under-par 33 on the back nine Saturday to be one of the final qualifiers in Kingwood, Texas. His 4-under-par 284 total was the highest to advance to the final stage from Kingwood.
Meanwhile, Kaye, a Denver native who has won twice on the PGA Tour but lost his fully-exempt status this year, rallied after a first-round 74 to finish ninth in the second-stage tournament in Beaumont, Calif. The former University of Colorado golfer shared ninth place with fellow former Colorado Open champion Dustin White of Pueblo West, one of Kaye’s final-round playing partners. White played on the Nationwide Tour in 2009.
The top local finisher in Beaumont, however, was Jarosch, the former University of Denver golfer who placed seventh with a 277 total. Jarosch played most of this last summer on the Canadian Tour.
Douma, a Denver native and former CU golfer, will have PGA Tour or Nationwide status for the first time in 2010 after finishing fifth Saturday in Kingwood, Texas. A year ago, Douma qualified for the second stage of Tour Q-school but couldn’t play after undergoing an emergency appendectomy on the eve of the tournament.
Guetz, who grew up in Littleton, finished 12th in the second-stage tournament in Panama City Beach, Fla., where he was competing with his brother, Brian, a two-time Colorado Open champion. Bret has played the Nationwide Tour in 2008 and 2009, but has never had his PGA Tour card. Brian came up four strokes short of advancing by finishing 29th in Panama City Beach.
Also falling short Saturday was Golden native Leif Olson, who recently lost his PGA Tour card after his rookie year on the circuit. Olson finished 56th in Brooksville, Fla.
Here are the scores from all of the local players at PGA Tour qualifying second-stage tournaments, which concluded Saturday. The noted number of golfers will advance to next month’s final stage, where the top 25 finishers and ties will earn their 2010 PGA Tour cards.
Brooksville, Fla. (21 players and ties advance) — Golden native Leif Olson 69-75-74-71–289 (56th place).
Panama City Beach, Fla. (20 players and ties advance) — Former Littleton resident Bret Guetz 70-73-66-71–280 (12th place); former Littleton resident Brian Guetz 66-74-72-72–284 (29th place).
Pine Mountain, Ga. (20 players and ties advance) — James Love of Denver 71-71-70-74–286 (54th place); former University of Colorado golfer Mike Troyer 72-76-73-75–296 (73rd place).
Kingwood, Texas (19 players and ties advance) — Former CU golfer John Douma 72-67-70-69–278 (fifth place); Kent Denver High School graduate Brandt Jobe 65-74-75-70–284 (17th place); former CU golfer Kenny Coakley 73-76-74-74–297 (62nd place); former Colorado State golfer Aaron Weston 72-73-76-77–298 (63rd place).
McKinney, Texas (21 players and ties advance) — Former Durango resident Tom Kalinowski 69-75-69-69–282 (28th place); Pat Grady of Broomfield 73-74-71-68–286 (50th place).
Beaumont, Calif. (20 players and ties advance) — Former University of Denver golfer Barrett Jarosch 67-67-73-70-277 (seventh place); former CU golfer Jonathan Kaye 74-69-66-69-278 (ninth place); Dustin White of Pueblo West 69-71-69-69–278 (ninth place); former DU golfer Daniel Wax 70-71-71-71–283 (29th place).
